Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The foundation of the temple was rectangular in form, similar to most temples at the time. Unlike other sanctuaries, however, the building was made of marble, with a decorated faзade overlooking a spacious courtyard. Marble steps surrounding the building platform led to the high terrace which was approximately 80 m (260 ft) by 130 m (430 ft) in plan. The columns were 20 m (60 ft) high with Ionic capitals and carved circular sides. There were 127 columns in total, aligned orthogonally over the whole platform area, except for the central cella or house of the goddess.

The ancient temple, built around 650 BC to the cult of Artemis, was constructed on a site already sacred to the Anatolian Mother Goddess, Cybele. The temple was financed by the wealthy king of Lydia and marshy ground was selected for the building site as a precaution against future earthquakes. The temple soon attracted merchants, kings, and sightseers, many of donated jewelery and other treasures to Artemis and her temple. Its splendor also attracted many worshippers and pilgrims, strenghtening the cult of Artemis. On July 21, 356 BC, the night Alexander the Great was born, legend has it that a psychopathic arsonist intent on immortality set fire to the temple. Plutarch remarked that Artemis was too preoccupied with Alexander's delivery to save her burning temple.

The arsonist, named Herostratus, was motivated by fame at any cost, thus the term "herostratic fame." The Ephesians, outraged, instructed that Herostratus' name never be recorded and that anyone who spoke of him should be put to death, but Strabo later noted the name.

Christ the Redeemer (statue)

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is 120 ft tall and has a weight of 635 tones. It is now a part of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It is located in the Corcovado Mountain which is at a peak of 700 meters i.e. 2,300 feet in the Tujuca forest National Park overlooking the city. The statue is made of concrete and soapstone. As a symbol of Christianity, it has become an important icon of Brazil, with Jesus Christ appearing to open his arms wide to embrace the entire city below.

               The idea of a religious statue was first conceived in 1921 by Carlos Oswaldo who sketched out a design of Christ carrying a cross. When engineer Heitor da Silva Costa was commissioned to build the monument he enlisted the aid of Polish sculptor Paul Landowski and the design was changed to its current form and it was agreed that the statue would be sculpted in France (unlike the Statue of Liberty it was not a gift from France).

                                        In the evening, powerful spotlights illuminate the statue of Christ, making it glow and appear almost to levitate above the darkened peak. By day or night, no matter where you may go in the city of Rio, the statue has the presence of an icon.

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum of Maussollos, or Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was a tomb built between 353-350 BC at Halicarnassus (present Bodrum, Turkey), for Mausolus a provincial king in the Persian Empire, and Artemisia, his wife and sister.It was designed by the Greek architects Satyrus and Pythius.

                               In 353 B.C., Mausolus died. Artemisia decided to build, in honor of her husband, a tomb larger than any that had ever been built. She sent word to Greece that she would pay any price to have the best architects in the world help build this tomb. One of the men who worked on the tomb was Scopas, who had had a hand in building the Temple to Artemis at Ephesus, another of the 7 Ancient Wonders. 

                                         The tomb remained relatively undamaged until the 13th century A.D. when the upper portions were damaged by an earthquake. In 1494, the Knights of St. John used the remainder of it in order to fortify their castle at Bodrum

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Statue of Zeus was the fourth oldest Wonder. It was built in Olympia in 433 BCE by the famous sculptor Pheidias to adorn the Sanctuary of Zeus, where the Olympic Games were held each year (King 10). Pheidias began to build it around 440 BCE (Pathak).

The great statue of Zeus at Olympia was sculpted by the Athenian artist, Pheidias. After completing his work on the Acropolis in 438 BC, Pheidias was commissioned by the Olympian priesthood to design and produce a chryselephantine statue of the god (P. Valavanis). The statue took Pheidias over 12 years to complete, and the result was so astounding that those who saw the statue marveled and placed it among the Seven Wonders of the World (J. Swaddling). Pheidias is said to have used verses from Homer’s Iliad as inspiration for his masterpiece (H. Schobel). The following lines served as a basis for his interpretation;

The statue itself was destroyed around the 5th century AD; therefore any knowledge of the statue comes to us through second hand descriptions and representations. Luckily, Pausanias described the statue in great detail. The following description of the statue is based on his observations.

Lighthouse of Alexandria

This lighthouse was built around 280 BC and was around 134 m in height. it was a huge building that had three parts, one built right on top of another. The lowest part was square and was 183.4 feet high. The middle was octagonal in shape and was 90 feet high. The highest part was a 24-foot-high cylinder. The total height, including the base, was 384 feet, which would be a 40-story building in modern times.

                                                    The Pharaohs Ptolemy I and Ptolemy II utilised the skills of Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes, the Cnidian who was the architect of the Lighthouse.  Sostratus was a wealthy Alexandrian courtier and a diplomat. Sostratus officially inaugurated the Lighthouse and the dedication on the monument, according to Strabo,  read: “Sostratus the Cnidian, friend of the sovereigns, dedicated this, for the safety of those who sail the seas”.

                                                  Although the Lighthouse of Alexandria did not survive to the present day, it undoubtedly leave an impact in many respects. The monument has been used as a model for many prototypes along the Mediterranean, as far away as spain. And from a linguistic standpoint, it gave its name -- Pharos -- to all the lighthouses in the world                                                    

Great-Pyramid-of-Giza

How the pyramid was constructed has always been the subject of very passionate debate by scholars. Some evidence and theories suggest that 20,000 workers over the course of 20 years built it, and were even paid to do so. This would have required a great deal of organization and manpower in the way of accounting and record keeping. The Egyptians were known for their excellent documentation.

The pyramid was constructed out of stone blocks, each weighing at least 2 tons. There are theories suggesting that multiple men together maneuvered each block over a ramp that encircled the structure as it rose, or that they moved each stone up long ramps that got higher and longer as the pyramid got taller, or even that scaffolding was used. Many eschew each of these theories for different reasons, including the idea that wood that could have been used for scaffolding or ramps would have been at a premium, and using mud brick for those purposes would not have held under the enormous weight of each massive block. And, of course, there are the ideas that aliens built the pyramids. However the pyramid was constructed, it is a marvelous feat, and should be awed and respected, especially because it is standing today with relatively minor damage.

   There are three main chambers inside the pyramid, which are arranged centrally, through the vertical axis of the pyramid; being the largest the lowest chamber also known as “unfinished chamber”, which was cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was constructed. The middle chamber is known as the “Queen’s Chamber” and it is the smallest of the three with around 25 square meters of area and 4.5 meters in height. A peculiar detail about this chamber is that was explored using a robot created by the German engineer “Rudolf Gantenbrink”. The Egyptologist “Mark Lehner” believes that this chamber was designed as a “serdab” a structure used in other pyramids in Egypt.

   The third chamber is the main, the King’s Chamber. It is located at end of the lengthy series of entrance ways into the pyramid structure. Its original measurements were 10x20x11.2 cubits (5.25x10.5x6 meters). These dimensions are consistent with the geometric methods that used the ancient Egyptians to determine the Golden Ratio phi. Inside the great pyramid, there had a great number of sarcophagus and a large gallery, which is 49x3x11

Great wall of China

The Great Wall of China was built over more than two thousand years. Construction on the first section began between the 7th and 6th century BC, and the last work on the wall was done between the 14th and 17th centuries.

                                                         The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern china, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups. Several walls have been built since the 5th century BC that are referred to collectively as the Great Wall, which has been rebuilt and maintained from the 5th century BC through the 16th century. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first emperor of china , qin shi huang. Little of that wall remains; the majority of the existing wall was built during the ming dynasty

                                          

         The Great Wall stretches from Shanghaiing in the east, to lop nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of inner Mongolia. The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has recently concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi). This is made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) sections of actual wall, 359.7 km (223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.

Colossus of Rhodes

 It is sometimes called "Modern Colossus," but more often called the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is somewhat like Colossus. Both were built as a celebration of freedom.Originally, Colossus stood over 2,000 years ago at the Islands of Rhodes. It is located off of the southwestern tip is Asia Minor, where the Agean Sea meets the Mediterranean Sea.

                                     The capitol city,Rhodes,was built in 408 B.C. In 357 B.C the island which was conquered by Mausolus of Halicarnassus (one of the other seven wonders) fell to the Persians in 340 B.C. and was finally captured by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.cThe Statue of Liberty, which is the same size as Colossus, weighs 225 tons! Colossus weighed a little more. Inside the statue were several stone columns, which acted as the main supports.

                                            In the seventh century A.D. the Arabs conquered Rhodes and broke the remains of the Colossus up into smaller pieces and sold it as scrap metal. Legend says it took 900 camels to carry away the statue. A sad end for what must have been a majestic work of art.

Hanging garden

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was located in the east bank of Euphrates, South of Baghdad in Iraq. King Hammurabi was the most famous king of the Babylonian kingdom. Under his rule, the entire kingdom flourished. His son Nebuchadnezzar was the one who built the Hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven marvels of world. Some stories have it that the Hanging Gardens went hundreds of feet into the air, but archaeological explorations have proved it wrong.

Babylon was an arid country and water from the Euphrates River had to be used to irrigate it. A chain pump was used to lift water to each level. A chain pump is two large wheels on top of each other. Buckets are hung on a chain that connects the wheels. The bucket goes into the water then comes up and goes into a new pool. The empty buckets go back into the water to be refilled. The water at the top is then emptied through into a channel gate that is like a artificial stream to water the gardens. Special care had to be taken while watering the garden because the garden ran the risk of collapsing if water were absorbed by the brick columns and foundation supporting the gardens.

However, the Greek historian Strabo had stated that the gardens were situated by the River Euphrates. So others argue that the site is too far from the Euphrates to support the theory since the Vaulted Building is several hundreds of meters away. They reconstructed the site of the palace and located the Gardens in the area stretching from the River to the Palace. On the river banks, recently discovered massive walls 25 m thick may have been stepped to form terraces... the ones described in Greek references.

machu picchu

Almost a century after its archaeological discovery and thanks to recent studies of sixteenth century archival documents, there are good arguments to suppose that the citadel of Machu Picchu was - like the pyramids of the pharaohs in Egypt or the tomb of the emperor Chin Shi Huan in China - the luxurious and well cared for mausoleum of the Inca Pachakuteq, founder and first emperor of Tawantinsuyu.

     7,000 feet above sea level and nestled on a small hilltop between the Andean Mountain Range, the majestic city soars above the Urabamba Valley below. The Incan built structure has been deemed the “Lost Cities”, unknown until its relatively recent discovery in 1911. Archaeologists estimate that approximately 1200 people could have lived in the area, though many theorize it was most likely a retreat for Incan rulers. Due to it’s isolation from the rest of Peru, living in the area full time would require traveling great distances just to reach the nearest village.

                         It must be noted, however, that the places mentioned above, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu in particular, are known to have been ceremonial sites many centuries and even millennia before the Inca developed and, furthermore, already had existing structures that were used for astronomical observations and ceremonial functions. Many contemporary people writing and speaking about the Inca are not well enough educated to know this matter yet, none the less, it is archaeological fact. The name of the archaeological site is sometimes misspelled as machu pichu, macchu picchu, machu piccu, machupicchu, macu picchu, macho picchu, machu piccho, machu picch, macha picchu, machu piccuh, mach picchu. The correct spelling is Machu Picchu.

Chichen Itza

                                    Chichen Itza which means “at the mouth of the well of Itza “, is the 2nd most visited archeological site of Mexico today. The Kukulkan Pyramid in Chichen Itza which known as “El Castillo” (the castle), is one of the new seven wonders of the world elected in 07.07.2007. It is exactly 24 m. high considering the upper platform. Apart from the Kukulkan Pyramid, in Chichen Itza there many other archaeological sites to visit, all carrying traces from Mayan Culture in many ways.

                                   It can take a whole day to see the extensive ruins of Chichén Itzá, which occupy 2.5 square miles. At the entrance is a large, modern visitors' centerthat includes a museum, a restaurant, bathrooms, and a bookstore. Here there are licensed guides who speak Spanish or English available for hire. A guide is not necessary, especially if you have a map or guidebook, but he or she can point out details you might otherwise miss and tell interesting stories about the ruins.

                                       The site has two areas: the central "new" zone, which shows distinct Toltec influence, and the southern "old" zone, with mostly Puuc architecture. The most well-known monuments are in the new zone.

Colosseum

                                                   Construction on the Colosseum began under Emperor Vespasian (69-79) and was completed under his son Titus (79-81) in 80 AD. It was built on the site of an artificial lake created by Nero in this valley between Rome's many hills, in front of his Domus Aurea palace.

The Colosseum also helps us decrypt the Roman society.Everything about the Colosseum is impressive, from the building’s dimensions to the gladiator stories! And Closseum is not just a story! It is one of the most visited places in Rome, Italy.

                                                  The southern side of the Colosseum was felled by an earthquake in 847. Parts of the building - including the marble facade - were used for the construction of later monuments, including the St. peter’s Basilica

petra

Petra was first established sometime around the 6th century BC, by the Nabataean Arabs, a nomadic tribe who settled in the area and laid the foundations of a commercial empire that extended into Syria. Despite successive attempts by the Seleucid king Antigonus, the Roman emperor Pompey and Herod the Great to bring Petra under the control of their respective empires, Petra remained largely in Nabataean hands until around 100AD, when the Romans took over. 

                                             It was still inhabited during the Byzantine period, when the former Roman empire moved its focus east to Constantinople, but declined in importance thereafter. 

                                   The Crusaders constructed a fort there in the 12th century, but soon withdrew, leaving Petra to the local people until the early 19th century, when it was visited by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

Taj Mahal,India

Location: On the banks of river Yamuna in Agra
Year of Construction: 1631-1653
Built By: Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan
Spread Over: 42 acres
Significance: One of the Seven Wonders of the World .

Taj Mahal History
One of the finest examples of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles is The Taj Mahal.  The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India and was constructed under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is generally considered as the main designer of Taj Mahal. In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal empire’s period of greatest prosperity, was griefstricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal died. The construction of Taj Mahal begun shortly after Mumtaz’s death with the main mausoleum completed in 1648. The buildings around the garden were finished five years later. The Taj Mahal complex was completed in the year 1653.In 1983, Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2008, it named one of the new sevenwonders of the world.

Taj Mahal Visitor Information

The Taj Mahal is open from 6:00 am to 7:30 pm. It is closed on Fridays, where it is open for Muslim prayer services. The complex is open for night viewing on the day of the full moon and two days before and after. For security reasons only five items – water in transparent bottles, small video cameras, still cameras, mobile phones and small ladies’ purses – are allowed inside the Taj Mahal.
The entry fee is Rs. 970 (Foreigners), Rs. 20 (Indians, during daytime), Rs. 110 (Indians, during sunrise and sunset)
You will find many, many, many people who try to offer their services as a guide there. Most of them are trying to cheat you and are scammers. While some have good knowledge of the structure, if you are looking for a guide, it is better to hire one before you get there as you will get a better rate and legitimate operator.

Tajmahal Photo Gallery